Worth a Punt ..But Better Be Quicksmart

Well, I noticed the other day that the rather spiffy Strat - The Chi Chi One - is up on the block on Ebay and at the moment is looking likely to go for silly cheap numbers..

Nothing to do with me anymore, but if you are looking for a seriously cool Strat, Mojo PAF and HB sized P90s, beautiful au natrel finish and a BB King scratchplate...well, you might be worth having a shufty.

I hate to think what the parts alone would cost (and I am seriously tempted myself, which would break all manner of rules and I can't - I CAN'T I tell thee..) and I hate to say it, but it would cost you nearer to a grand now if I was making another (which of course I won't).

The original spec is Here

Anyway, it is Here and worth a cheeky punt I would think..

La la laaaa

Chi Chi, Is The One I Can't Forget...

Well, the last couple of days have been a bit odd. the TV Dinner One set off to sunny Ireland, while The Confused One came home, all tattered and torn, to Jookyland. Never got a chance to even open the box on that one, but hopefully I can see what's what today.

Other than that, as my Bratskis totally refused to allow me to chop their comics to bits, The Marvel Us One never happened over the weekend, and I have had to order some Marvel comics of my very ownsome.

I went for Captain America comics as they were my fave as a kid - theoretically anyway, I only ever got to read them in the Doctor's surgery waiting room. Saying that I did love 2000ad when that came out (and can still cry over my Mom throwing away the first couple of hundred issues that I'd collected, free Frisbee disk on the first one and bionicalised stickers on the second. Remember them well.)

But they weren't Marvel, not that that really matters I guess.

Hmmm..

Anyway, hopefully they will arrive today and I can start with me plastering.

I'm going to try and be a bit swish with this one and be-cover the cavities too, and then make a transparent scratchplate so you can see the comics as well as Marcy Mojo's lovely loom and PIO caps..

I'm quite looking forward to this...

Speaking of Strats (vaguely Stratish anyway) I am deeply and darkly in love with The Chi Chi One, it sustains for half an hour, and the neck is lust-fulfillingly groovy.

So nobody do anything silly like buying it,

Okay?

I'm quite happy for it to hang around for a while right now.

Tidy lush, indeedy.

Who needs a Les Paul, eh?

Not I.

This week anyway.

La la laaaa

Sold: The Chi Chi One

The Chi Chi One is a Jookified homage to the Seventies Strat with a La Cabronita hint around the edges.

It has a big headstock, a beautiful ash body that has been naturally finished (though thankfully is light compared to most of the 70s originals) and we have forsaken the usual single coils for some authentic 70s style rock grunt.

In fact The Chi Chi One has a bit of an identity crisis.

It may look like a Strat but the controls (thanks to a lovely loom put together by Marc Ransley at Mojo Pickups) are very much Les Paul or SG style.

As ever this is top quality stuff, with CTS pots, Switchcraft switch and hand made Red Tiger PIO Caps for the tone junkies out there.

Sounds-wise, there is a Mojo P90 at the neck and one of their beautiful PAF humbuckers at the bridge. And it is one of those guitars where whatever you do with it, it really does sound cool.

The pickguard (a La Cabronita touch) are made from an old BB King record and look rather groovy.

Wilkinson staggered tuners remove the need for string trees and are rock solid, and a Wilkinson tremolo with a nice solid steel block does wonders for the sustain.

So it looks, sounds and plays good,
what else is there?

*

To be clear, The Chi Chi One is an utterly unique guitar, and there will never, ever, be another made. It is signed and numbered, entirely hand built and finished cooler than a slo-mo run across the pebbled beach at Portishead. There will genuinely never be another guitar like this and past experience suggests that it won’t be around for long.

** SOLD ***

Technical Stuff:

Type: Norma’s Natural Guitar

Electrics: Mojo Pickups P90 and PAF, Mojo SG-style Wiring loom (CTS pots, Switchcraft Switch, PIO Red Tiger Caps)

Guitar Type: Fender Stratocaster Style

Construction: Swamp Ash body, Maple/Rosewood neck

Strings: Elixir 9s

Output: ¼” Guitar Lead

Controls: Volume, Tone, 3-way-switch

Special Stuff: Certificate of Authenticity, Builder Signed and Numbered, All Wrapped with our Trademark Jooky Wrapping.

Serial Number: JGE#65

RSP: £799

Sex On A Sticky Stick

Well, I wasn't best pleased. The re-wired (paint scratched) loomified 'plate for The Fallen One arrived back from Mojo-land. I got all excited and instantly plugged it in and was rather gutted to see the three-way-switch wobbling like one of #2 brat's teeth.

I guess the boot print on the box should have given me a clue that it had had the courier stomp treatment.

It sounds great when you hold it in place, but it limits the old fingering somewhat, it has to be said.

Actually that wouldn't affect me too much.

But anyway, I carried on waxing The Bergasol One and will do more when the top is dry. I am rather impressed as it looks stunning.

This may just be my opinion, of course, but there we are. If I'm being honest, nobody else's counts anyway.

Other than that, I played with The Chi Chi One's nut, and that is better. I think it was snagging slightly before which is annoying. Nowt worse than a snaggy nut. But it is slipping and sliding away now like there is no tomorrow.

So that was good, apart from that I spent far-too-much-time playing dodgy rock riffs on the extremely sweet sounding PAF, before hitting the P90 and launching into ear-splintering solos.

Well, in my head anyway, The pickups sound fantastic, and I really need an SG with a pair of these PAFs in - like now - but I'm getting by.

Obviously there is more set-up to do before I put it on the block (ahem.)

So today, more waxing, more strumming and I have my first guitar lesson since 1989, which I have a feeling will be chronically embarrassing, but there we are. We are none of us too old to learn.

la la laaa

Introducing: The Chi Chi One

Well, I'm pleased to introduce you to the latest of the little Jooky brood, The Chi Chi One, with it's 70s stained and waxed natural body, big headstock and lovely, lovely, loveliness.

I'm quite pleased, I have to admit.

From the top, it be:

1. A beautifully grained 2 piece swamp ash body

2. Maple and Rosewood, big headed neck, 12" radius and D of shape.

3. Tuners and trem are Wilkinson, a big steel block sustains zingily and tuning is solid.

4. Scratch and control plates are made from an old BB King record, for a touch of the La Cab about proceedings

5. Pickups are handwound by Marc Ransley at Mojo Pickups, and are a 'bucker sized P90, which is raw and pure sex, this is joined by a stunning sounding PAF Humbucker at the bridge that is jaw-droppingly cool. I don't even want to talk about the middle position as it quite literally has everything.

6. As this has a 70s Fender vibe, and all they seemed to do back then was try and convert Les Paul players, Mojo also did me a special twin volume, double tone wiring loom with audaciously big massive Red Tiger caps, CTS pots and everything else you'd hope for. I was always dubious about Paper In Oil caps making that much of a difference, but I'm a convert, even if it is just because they look so £$%^&* cool.


And there it is, The Chi Chi One, plays like a demon,
sounds like a brothel,
looks like an evening in a sauna.

Lush.

La la laaaa

WIP: The Chi Chi One

Well, the postie delivered some bundles of fun, and I managed to get on with The Chi Chi One.

As it stands all that is left is for me to put the La Cabish 'plate on, fix the neck to the body and wait for the correct - flat - pickup rings to arrive so that I can replace the uppy-downy ones I put on before I noticed they were wrong.

Strings might help too, of course.

I also went for different knobs, though they might change again before I finish. Takes a lot of contemplation does your knob selection, apparently.

As for other things, I've had a rethink about the finish on The Bergasol One and am going to give the  back and signs a blue stain and hot wax finish, before the bronze goes on top. Going to be a quite a colourfilled wee Jooky which will make a change. Remember colour? I used to make colourful guitars once.

In other news, as The Golden Shower One is still AWOL, I've decided I should keep one of these Jookies for a while. I am a very lot in love with The TV Dinner One, so it might be that, but then...who knows. how to choose between your kids? I don't know.

La la la

Lumbering

Well, tis going to be a slow day today as Bratski Numero Uno is ill and floppy and hogging the remote controls...so my planned continuance of the wood chopping (hahaha) is again out the window.

Instead then, I'm conducting a deep audit to discover just what parts I'm missing for the Coming-one-day-baby-maybe guitars, which are piling high once again.

Speaking of which it has suddenly dawned on me that I actually have three guitars for sale, can't quite remember when that last happened, and if:

1. I finish The Chi Chi One this week, and

2. I remember to send Mr Mojo the Jazzmaster loom  I've cocked-up somehow and he laughs at me and gets it back to Jookyland again and I finish the guitar all shamed of rose face, I might be in the unprecedented land of having, well what's that? Four or maybe five.

It isn't that I'm worried, in fact given that I downsized my own guitars to a paltry deux, it is really quite a pleasure, but it's funny how it happens. Though not verily funny really.

Anyway, parts listing - I think I'm covered on The Chi Chi One, need a few more for The Travellin' Man and Bergasol Ones and the others it is more about chopping the wood. Which I obviously can't do today. Michael Finnigan and all that.

La la laaa

WIP: The Chi Chi One

Well, off topic I realise, but I finally started chopping the wood as far as The Pearly Dewdrop Goes,  but more on that next  week when I get going for real on the routering.

Instead, I thought I'd show you  my WIP as far as the lovely The Chi Chi One goes.

Still  awaiting Wilkinson  steel blocked trems and the like, but I've got a nice Strat neck, finished waxing the swamp ash  body, plonked and soldered the Mojo PAF and P90 pickups and wiring and when the other parts come we'll be in clover. Red Tigers and all.

Oh, and I  went for a La Cab-esque pickguard made from a nice old record again. BB King got chopped this time, but I can't imagine he'll mind too much. Still got to burn some screw holes and then attach it, but it looks nice and I'm pleased.

So waiting now for trem, pickup rings, strap pins, tuners and trees, a neck plate and screws and that is about it methinks.

Not a lot if you say  it quicksmart.

La la laaaaa

What Be In That There Box Thens?

Well, I love waking up to the annoying tap of herpes at the door, but when they deliver shinynew stuff, I'll forgive most things.

Today they were especially welcome as they were delivering tidings of comfort and joy from Halifax, in the shape of Mojo goodliness.

So what have we got?

Firstly there are a 'Bucker-sized P90 and PAF, that will be going into The Chi Chi One. Can't wait to hear them and the only surprise is that I haven't tried either of them before. Most odd.

To go with these is of course a goodly smart wiring loom, SG style with a pair of Mojo's Grey Tigers looking classy.

Other things, as if that were not enough, well there is a lovely dogear P90 and matching loom for The Pearly Dewdrop One which I have tried before, so I know that will sound stunningly cool.

So today, I need a bit of tweak time with The Confused One as the string tree exploded last night and (literally) hit me 'tween the eyes. Not bad from ten yards. So that is top of the shop.

Assuming I get that done, I think it is time to chop some wood. I've not got parts to complete anything else,so...

Lovely.

La la laaaa

Look At The Caps On That 'Un

Mojo Grey Tigers - Coolest

Well, today saw us wandering around the village with The Tickled Pink One, which you can read about elsewhere. Or look at the fotos at least.

Of more interest were some cool fotos Mr Marcy Mojo sent thru of the pickups and wiring looms for The Pearly Dewdrop One - which yes, I will have to make now - and The Chi Chi One.

And stunning that P90 looks for the 'Drop, and absolutely gorgeously Chi Chi indeed are the PAF and P90 too.
But the thing that caught my eye was the new Mojo Grey Tiger caps, which are glorious.

Now I'm no great expert on such things, but I believe the Grey Tigers were one of the original Gibson specced capacitors and a bit of a holy grail for many.

Like the Bumble Bees but cooler. So that fact that Marc is making these uber authentic ones is well cool. Can't wait to hear them in action.

 

He also did Shugz - the man for the vintage loom - some "Shugz" branded caps recently and from what I know of the chap, he is picky picky picky, so his recommendation would convince me anyway.

But there we are - top fella is Marc Ransley, clever too.

La la laa

Something Chi Chi

Well, after the variety of Les Pauls that have come and gone around here, I still find myself in need of something for that humbucker sound.

OK, need might be a tad strong, but you know what I mean. I want the one I haven't got, and all that.

To scratch such an irritation, I think I will probably sort out an SG sooner or later, but in the meantime I snaffled a nice HH Strat body, which I thought would make a change.

I should probably have found a mahogany one, but I'm on a bit of a big-grained-swamp-ash mission at the moment, so that is what this is.

Anyway, I've already asked Marc at Mojo to sort me out with some pickups and one of his groovesome wiring looms. How's that for organisation?

What I've gone for are a nice PAF to live at the bridge, with one of his humbucker-sized P90s at the neck. I've never tried either of these before, bizarrely, so I'm looking forward to it. The body has been routed SG-style so twin volumes and tones and a three-way switch should make it fun.

As for the neck, well I want a big head and rosewood 'board, and it is a standard trem it is chopped for, so that is easy enough as I've done them once or twice.

As for the finish, I am probably going to wind-up my stained ash addiction with this, so I'm thinking something light in the vein of The B Movie One, as that was rather pretty. Though perhaps I should go for a Cherry and really mix my messages. Nah.

In fact (as I forgot to post this earlier and I got side-tracked) I've now given it a nice stain and sand to get the grain going and have finished it with beeswax as, well, I like the smell. No harm in that, is there?

So there it be, The Chi Chi One, coming one day, probably maybe.

La la laaa